King of the Koopas: Because I Knew You
by LemonyShepard
Summary: Sequel to King of the Koopas. Bowser struggles to keep a mysterious assassin from overthrowing his throne as Peach slowly discovers her dark origins. Will the beauty and the beast put aside their differences and become allies? COMPLETED!
1. No One Mourns the Misunderstood

**This is the semi-sequel of my story _King of the Koopas_. You could read this story by itself, but you would be awfully confused, so nobody is allowed to read this story before reading (and commenting on) _King of the Koopas. _**

**Bowser, after a tragic journey through rebellion, discrimination, and unjustice, has finally destroyed the wicked King Toadstool and claimed his righteous throne. However, the only thing that stands in his way is Princess Peach, heir to the Mushroom Kingdom. With her in his claws, the Mushroom Kingdom is now his.**

**But when a strange assassin dressed in red and blue emerges from a strange land, will Bowser's kingdom of liberty and justice live long? More interesting yet, will the princess discover her dark origins? Here is the anticipated sequel to _King of the Koopas..._**

* * *

There were cheers coming from every inch of the Mushroom Kingdom. People of every race were celebrating the death of a horrid tyrant who had consumed their lives. A being so monstrous that the Devil himself bowed in respect for him. 

Bowser, King of the Koopas.

The Koopa emerged from the shadows some months ago, starting a terrible war over the throne. Brave King Toadstool fought well and just, but Bowser was such a barbaric demon that he killed him without even trying.

He was also quite skilled at sorcery, it seemed, for he also transformed the once-gentle King Wart into a horrifying creature, forcing the poor king to run away into concealment, far away from civilization.

He killed countless Toads, who were such innocent creatures; he destroyed the peaceful land of Keep Canyon with lava and rock; he kidnapped the sweet and innocent Princess Peach Toadstool, who was forced to live with the unholy being until her savior came and killed him, setting her free.

This savior was Mario Mario, a young man from a faraway world called Italy. He came to the Mushroom Kingdom via King Toadstool's panted warp pipes, which could transport anyone from here to there within a matter of seconds. He heard about Bowser kidnapping the princess and stealing the precious Stars. Mario, within a matter of days, managed to gather all of the Stars and defeat Bowser, ridding the Mushroom Kingdom of his evil forever.

All of Het Naamkaartje knew this story: the story of an evil dictator taking over viciously, a damsel in distress, and a hero rising up to kill the beast and save the day. Very few knew the real story: a story of an unjust king, a terrifying war, tragic misunderstandings, and a witch and her child.

Very few knew the story of Bowser, King of the Koopas, and his relationship with Princess Peach…

**King of the Koopas: Because I Knew You**

**Peach's Tale**

She was still suspended high above the new King's throne room. She had been there for two days now, but it felt like weeks already. She missed her dear father, King Toadstool. She never knew her mother, but had high hopes that one day she would return.

Those hopes had vanished.

Bowser was in control now. He was standing next to the wide stained glass window, starring out into the court yard. The princess did the same. It was hard to believe that one of the bloodiest battles in the history of Het Naamkaartje took place there just three days ago. The blood had been washed away, the bodies dissolved, and all remains of death had vanished.

This was the power of the Stars. She thought about using the Stars to unlock herself from this cage she was in, but then remembered that Bowser's mentor, Kammy Koopa, hid them all in places nobody could find them in.

She wanted so much to cry, but simply couldn't. She had cried for the past two days and was all dried up. So all she could do was sit, watch, and hope that life would get better somehow.

As if by answered prayer, a large green pipe emerged from the court yard, and a short, but built, man dressed in red and blue, nicely combed head topped with a red hat. She gasped, and could hardly contain her excitement.

Bowser looked at the man and grinned evilly. "So, this is your friend, is it?" he roared, almost laughing triumphantly. "Well, we'll see just how well he does finding you…or the Stars…" He walked directly under the cage and starred up at the princess. Peach had to cross her legs to avoid having Bowser's eyes look up her dress.

"And, even if he does find you, he'll have to pass through me first! My Kingdom will reign high, and nobody will be able to bring me down!" Bowser walked down and opened the door to the throne room, revealing a flight of nearly endless stairs. He screamed into the darkness,

"DO YOU HEAR ME, HUMAN? YOU WILL NEVER BRING ME DOWN! KOOPA-KIND WILL LIVE LONG FOREVER! AND NOTHING WILL STOP ME FROM RETURNING PEACE AND JUSTICE TO THIS KINGDOM!"

The princess then knew what Bowser's plan was. He was going to destroy her beloved Mario. She needed to warn him somehow, but her voice could not be heard from outside the throne room, much less down the endless staircase and into the main lobby, where her hero now stood, talking to a Toad, with only one thing in his mind: kill Bowser.

* * *

**please read and respond (and remember not to read this until after reading _King of the Koopas_)**


	2. A Name

**Responses (I love this part)"**

**G.I.R.'s shadow: HEY! Long time no see, buddy! Yes, this sequel just kinda popped into my head yesterday, and so did a prequel. And have no fear: The Cackletta origin is in progress. I'm re-playing Superstar Saga and taking notes on every little detail to make sure that I get it perfect! **

**EmiRay: Yes, this story is a heck of a lot darker and more mature than the original Super Mario 64. But, then again, have you ever read _Wicked_? It takes the lovely little story _The Wizard of Oz_ and flips it upside down! It's grand (I suggest you read it) and that's kinda what I'm trying to do: let people see Mushroom Kingdom from a different point of view!**

**rock4ever: I'm happy to know that I'm making you happy! here's the next chappie!**

* * *

The assassin was in the building. He was going to try and find the Stars. Bowser laughed to himself, imagining this pitiful and weak Human searching for weeks, getting lost in the deep bowels of this castle, and starving to death.

He ran over to his crystal ball, which Kamilia gave to him days ago. He saw the stout man running and jumping around the lobby, acting like an immature child was controlling him. Soon, the mustached man found his way to a door, which led to a large empty room with one large painting on its wall. Bowser grinned.

"You're in an endless maze, mister hero." He chuckled. "You'll never find those…"

As if by some strange twist of fate, the man took a giant leap at the painting and, as if he were leaping into a pool, vanished into it! Bowser inhaled sharply and nearly tumbled over backwards.

"No…" he gasped. "It's…not even possible." He let out a mighty roar which shook the throne room like an earthquake. "Kammy hid them in such obscure places! Places no ordinary person would bother checking! How did he know!"

He slammed a reptilian fist down on the table, nearly shattering his crystal ball. He narrowed his eyes and fiddled his claws nervously as he sat down on his throne.

"He will find the Stars…he'll come and fight me, he'll take this throne that is rightfully mine and give it to…"

He looked up at the princess, who was sound asleep. She did look peaceful, even though it was she who had sent for this man to kill him. Her hair was matted and worn, but, then again, so was his. Only hers was the color of the brightest gold that could ever be found. Her face looked so…innocent. How could this be Toadstool's spawn? Her pink dress was now covered in soot and dust, and a small piece of it was torn. As he was looking up, he could see up her dress. Normally, he would look away in an instant, in fear of getting caught, but this was something that he had never encountered before. The only girls he actually knew were Kamilia and his sister. He never saw such lovely, smooth legs…

He shook those perverted thoughts out of his head. He had little time to worry about the princess! He had to figure out how to stop this mysterious M man from collecting the stars!

He lowered his head and sighed. The only way he could know anything about this man was by asking Peach. This man was, after all, the princess's friend. Awkwardly, he cleared his throat and began by whispering,

"Princess…Princess Peach…Peach!"

The young girl stirred for a bit, but continued to sleep. Bowser growled. This girl was trying his patience.

"Peach, wake up!"

The girl gave a slight yelp and jumped a bit, banging her head on the top of her cage. She moaned and rubbed it.

"What do you want?"

Bowser's face was red with frustration, but he rubbed his neck and calmly said, "I need your help with something. How much do you know about this friend of yours?" The princess crossed her arms.

"I know plenty," she stated, her nose up in the air. "But I won't tell you a piece of information."

Bowser roared and pounded the wall with his fist, making the princess's cage swing back and fourth violently. Peach cried out with fear and held on to the bars with her life. Bowser bared his teeth at the girl. His whole life was wasted feeling pity for those weaker than him, and where did it get him?

_A road he couldn't follow._

But, for some reason, this girl seemed different. She had a…_wonder_ about her that he couldn't understand. There was an aura of mystery surrounding her, for she was an innocent child. But she was also something more. She had a certain something hidden deep inside of her that he wanted to see more of, but she kept it under lock and key.

These feelings confused him, and he hated not understanding things. So he took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

"Princess, please, you don't understand where I'm coming from." He stated, almost whispering, as he took his eyes off her amazing figure and sat down in his throne. "You do not know how far I have come for this. My kingdom. A castle I can call my own. A chance to take Koopas' horrible reputation and turn it around. But, if this man gets a hold of those Stars first, my life will be for naught!"

He lowered his voice. "I will not hurt you in any way, Princess; if you just tell me how do drive him away. I will free you, let you live life anew! But I…won't let him do this to me."

Peach felt a strange sorrow for the beast, who had turned around from monstrosity to gentle and honest. Still, she couldn't trust him. Her trust was going to have to be earned.

"His name is Mario…I will tell you more later."

This angered Bowser more than anything, but he knew that he would have to gain the girl's trust in order to keep his throne. It would be a long, painful process, but he had gotten this far. He was _not_ about to give up now.

* * *

**r&r please**


	3. Growing Worries

**I think the funniest thing about this story is that I have no real clue where I'm going with it. Haha! I mean, I know how it's going to end, but I'm not sure what will go on in the middle. Send me your ideas _please_!**

**rock4ever: Wicked is truely the best musical in the history of history! Oh, and finish this chapter today? Hm, alright.**

**shadow-spawn180: Spelling errorsno good. I'll kill my spell check for lying to me, then continue writing this story **

**G.I.R.'s shadow: The Manta Boss is my all-time FAV! Sometimes, when I'm bored, I'll just pop in SM:S and just beat the things over and over. And yes, the secret levels are uber dumb. CURSE YOU, SHADOW MARIO!**

* * *

Night had arrived suddenly in Mushroom Kingdom, and only the dim light of scattered candles supplied light for the troubled King. He had been awake for hours now, starring at the moonless black sky. The stars shone brightly and this got Bowser thinking about the Stars. For all he knew, Mario could've found a few by now. He had been in that painting for many hours.

He didn't know what to do. He couldn't just hop into the painting and follow the guy around. He couldn't just go down and destroy the painting either. What if this Mario character jumped out while he was there? What if Mario had a Star with him? What if Bowser couldn't escape and his term ended just like that? Bowser couldn't think about that. All he could do was wait for the princess to wake up again and ask her more questions.

He then heard a triumphant "Ya-Hoo!" as the assassin jumped out of the painting again. However, this time, to Bowser's utter horror, six bright, golden Stars floated next to him, each letting off a beautiful, deadly aura. Bowser's eyes widened as he continued to stare at the horrible image in his crystal ball. He clamped a claw on his chest as he stumbled backwards.

"No…" he whispered, gasping for breath. He was scared, and he was panting so hard that small embers emerged from his throat. The princess heard his terrible gasping, like he was about to have an asthma attack, and began to worry for his health.

Why did she care? She didn't even know, but she did know that, if Bowser got ill, she would still be stuck up in her cage. It would be some time before Mario gathered all of the Stars, and the princess at least wanted to seduce the Koopa King into letting her go for a while. She realized that Bowser was giving her glances that Mario used to give her, and blushed at the very thought of the monster liking her. She found it cute…after all, he was a blood-thirsty tyrant who was determined to rule with an iron fist.

…Or was he?

She couldn't tell. At first, she thought that Bowser was simply a greedy, huge Koopa who was determined to seek revenge on Humans. Now…well, she_ still_ saw him as a Koopa with a childish stubbornness about him, but she didn't know much about him other than that. Surely he had a reason to be doing all of this. Surely he wasn't insane, or stupid.

The Koopa King sat down on his throne and sighed heavily. He starred up at Peach, thinking she was still asleep, and he inhaled sharply when he realized that she wasn't.

"When did you get up?" he roared. The princess tried her best to cover her body the best way she could. She hated being suspended over a hopeless-romantic beast like this.

"Just now…when I heard you coughing." She blushed and lowered her head. "I was worried…"

This caught Bowser off guard and he felt his face grow red as well. This time, however, it wasn't out of anger. Was he blushing? He turned his head around and asked, "I need you to tell me more about this Mario. He's already collected six of those Stars. Just tell me one more piece of information."

Peach thought about this. This Koopa was really desperate for information on Mario. She could possibly make him do whatever she wanted. She gave a slight smile.

"Well, I'll tell you what you need to know if you let me out of this cage." She said down at Bowser. The Koopa King lowered his brows, suspecting foul play, but he obliged and lowered the princess down and unlocked the cage door. He helped her out and grasped her shoulders tightly.

"There, you're free of the cage." He growled. "But not from me. Now tell me, what are Mario's weaknesses?"

Peach could hardly stay conscious long enough to answer the question, for Bowser's breath was like toxic. Bowser noticed this himself, and tried to breathe away from Peach to not offend her in any way. He needed her trust, after all.

Peach thought. _What were Mario's weaknesses?_ Well, he simply loved her kisses. He would nearly faint from excitement whenever he saw her in a swimsuit. And every time Peach asked for something, Mario usually got it for her right away.

_'Yeah, but that's not going to help Bowser, now, is it?'_ she thought to herself. She continued to think until, finally, something popped into her head.

"His hat." She said. She could hardly believe she was spilling her boyfriend's only real weakness to a tyrant who imprisoned her, but she couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth for some reason. "I made that hat for him myself. He wears it everywhere he goes. Back in his world, the hat is ordinary headwear, but here in our world it allows him to jump to incredible proportions and makes him stronger, too."

Bowser grinned. "That's all I needed to know." Without giving the girl another thought, he released her shoulders from his grasp and walked into his back room. He was preparing.

Peach, on the other hand, was simply happy to be free of her tiny, airborne prison. She slowly crept over to the Throne Room's main door and gave the knob a pull. Locked. Somehow, she wasn't very surprised.

She walked over and sat down at the King's throne. Her dress was a _disgrace_. She thought about changing, but with Bowser around, always starring at her features, she didn't think it was that great of an idea.

Still, she didn't mind him looking _that_ much, and she _did_ need to change before her dress set off some sort of fashion alarm…

* * *

**This might need to be rated T pretty soon...r&r**


	4. An Unfolding

**I simply love it when old friends of mine return! **

**Queen B of Randomness 016: HEY! Long time no see! Yeah, sequels pop up faster than they used to. And mucho thanks for your idea. I'll add it in soon.**

**Sailor Taichichi Vegeta: What's up, buddy? Nice to have you back! Yeah, that whole deal with "bowser loves his niece! EWW!" is a little gross...and it's leaving me undecided, too. I just hope that all goes well with my fans...**

**knox614: Alright, this is kinda like the Luke/Leia romance in episode 5: They didn't know that they were brother and sister so, since they were so alike, they were naturally drawn to each other. Same goes here: Bowser has never loved anyone before, and meeting up with a young girl who reminds him so much of his long-dead sister is like a blessing to him. I don't guarentee fluffy-ness, but a WEE bit of romance is on the horizon.**

* * *

She slowly strolled into her father's large closet. Well, it was hers now, along with everything in it. Inside were dozens of beautiful dresses and gowns and outfits that she didn't quite recognize. She searched through a wonderful array of different sizes, textures, material, and colors. For a while it seemed as if she was in a dream, surrounded by the comforts of her material objects that always made her happy.

She finally settled on a lovely little dress. It was crimson in hue, made of the finest velvet. She had forgotten that she wasn't alone in the castle, however, and simply slipped her outer dress off her young body. She then slowly began to put the red dress on as she noticed the door to the giant closet was open a tiny crack. At first she didn't think anything of it, but then she remembered…

"BOWSER!" she shrieked, awakening the crows that were sleeping in the highest reaches of the towers. The Koopa King fell backwards in total awe of what he had just seen. He had never seen somebody that way before. He couldn't understand these feelings he was having. They didn't seem very fair, but…

His thoughts were interrupted by the loud crack of his check being slapped by the enraged princess. Locks of her golden blonde hair covered her flustered face. Her blue eyes were now burning with anger. Her rosy cheeks were as if they were on fire, burning redder than Bowser's hair. Bowser almost immediately snapped out of his dream state and looked upon the princess. _This girl was pissed off!_

"Why are you so perverted, you monster?" she screamed. Bowser didn't know how to answer this. Hell, he didn't even know what perverted meant. He regained his own composure and lowered his brows.

"I was simply making sure that you didn't try to escape from me." He stated, voice quivering.

"Yeah, right!" the princess roared back sarcastically. "You know what, you may be ruler of this Kingdom now, but I am still my own person with my own body! I want it to be respected!" And with that, she stormed off.

Bowser's face was red with anger now, veins popping out of his neck. He didn't have time for the princess's puny problems. He had his own troubles to worry about.

For the next night he stayed in his Throne Room, working on his plan. Kammy had taught him enough about sorcery that he came up with perfect ways of capturing that blasted Mario.

_'If his hat is his ultimate weakness,'_ he thought to himself. _'then all I need to do is force that hat away from him.'_

He had designed three magical boxes (one red, one blue, one green), each with three curses set upon them. He grinned as he called for his magical aids. Three small, round, white creatures with large, smiling mouths appeared, as if by magic. These were the Boo Diddlies, a species of harnessed souls that Kamilia had found and captured while she was but a young Koopa. He grinned at their appearances.

"Boos," he said grimly. "I want each of you to take one of each colored box. They are specifically designed to eliminate our foe, the mysterious Mario. The red one makes his hat, his true weakness, levitate far beyond his reach. The blue one makes the hat invisible and intangible to touch, so he would never find it nor wear it ever again. The green one makes the hat pure metal. Even if he could get it on his head, it would crush him flat! Now…go!"

The ghosts laughed and chuckled hysterically as they each grabbed an assortment of boxes and vanished before the Koopa Kings eyes. He snickered quietly under his breath.

The princess was now in the Master Bathroom, washing her delicate face. The warm water against her filthy, chilled skin made her feel a lot calmer. She starred longingly at the shower, but didn't dare step into it.

_'That Bowser,'_ she thought, hatred returning to her mind. _'Why can't he take over this kingdom without destroying his virgin eyes?'_

She walked over to the curtains of the shower and admired the fine detail. Only the best for the King of all Mushroom Kingdom. But then she noticed something strange…something about the shower that she didn't notice before. There was some kind of lever in the middle of the hot water/ cold water knobs. Curiosity consumed her as she, quietly, pulled the secret lever.

Suddenly, the wall behind the shower curtain opened up, revealing a secret staircase! Peach was startled for a moment, but then smiled with joy as she remembered what her father had told her some years ago:

_"If ever you are in danger, you will find a secret passageway to get to the basement tunnels. Use them to escape from the harm."_

She took a quick glance over her shoulder before descending into the dark, damp stairs, hoping…_praying_ for a way to her Mario.

* * *

**The plot thickens...read and respond please**


	5. Prisoners of Fate

**Wow, sorry this took so long. I've been uber busy with theatre and whatnot. Plus, for the longest of times, wouldn't let me import this chapter! Gah, it's been frustrating, but here's the next chappie:**

**I've recieved a lot of feedback saying how perverted and stupid Bowser is when it comes to Princess Peach. But he has spent his whole life running, hiding, and fighting. The only women he ever knew in his life were Kammy and his own sister. If a beautiful human girl appeared in front of you for the first time in your life, wouldn't you be a little bit curious as to what's popping out of her shirt? Haha!**

* * *

The dark corridors seemed to be made of shadow. The princess kept her hand against the damp, gringy walls of the staircase. Small, unlit candles bordered the gray, eroding bricks. Peach didn't know where to go from there.

Finally, after a few minutes of aimless walking, she stumbled upon a wooden door. Upon opening it, she found herself ankle-deep in frigid water. She lifted her dress to avoid getting it soaked. She was in her basement.

She waded through the dark water for a moment or two, searching for…anything: Mario, an escape, something that would free her from Bowser's clutch. As she walked and searched, she thought of everything that had occurred to her in the past couple of days.

Her kingdom was taken over by Bowser, King of the Koopas, who had a vicious streak miles long. _'Why?'_ she asked herself. _'He did mention that Father did some horrible things to he and his family. But…what could Father have possibly done to make him so evil?'_

Mario had come to her rescue. She was overjoyed by that fact, but Bowser was more than determined to exterminate her savior. This worried her for a while, but thoughts of her Mario emerging from the painting, Stars in hand, gave her a boost of confidence.

But then more thoughts had entered her mind. From the moment she laid eyes on Bowser, she realized that there was something familiar about him. Almost like she had met him before…or had known him her whole life. This, of course, raised even more questions about her past, such as who her mother was. Why had her father never spoke of her before? Why did she have no memories of her?

Her thoughts and questions were interrupted by the sound of water splashing behind a stone wall. Her spirit was lifted high as she thought of Mario, bursting around the corner, bringing her close to him, embracing each other.

Nothing of that sort happened. In fact, all the princess saw was a small bunny rabbit, hopping along nervously. The princess slowly walked over to the bunny, trying not to startle him, but tripped on a loose floorboard. She flailed her arms every which way, trying to keep her balance, then let out a shriek as she collapsed in the water with a loud splash!

The bunny's head jerked up as he immediately began to hop away. Peach cursed at herself as she got back up and began chasing the furry fiend. This animal was quite fast, however, and it took every ounce of strength the princess had to catch up with it. Finally, she had the creature cornered up against a wall. She pounced on the little critter and grabbed it tightly in her gloved hands.

"Who are you?" she asked, looking quite crazy with her hair wet and sticking this way and that. The poor rabbit shivered as he tried to speak.

"You…You are with Bowser…yes?" he stuttered, scared out of his fur. Peach blinked a couple of times, startled by his question, then responded,

"No, I'm not with that tyrant. Why?"

The bunny sighed with relief as he slowly stopped shivering. "Oh…Oh, good. At first I thought he sent you to do even more terrible things to me. But I see that you are nothing more than a prisoner, as I am." The princess didn't know weather to take this as an insult or not. The bunny took a slight bow.

"My name is Mips, from the Beanbean Kingdom." He stated.

"I am Princess Peach Toadstool of Mushroom Kingdom. I'm sorry I gave you such a fright." She said, standing back up, dress soaking wet. The bunny gave a slight laugh.

"Oh, no, I am sorry that I ran away from you, princess. I'm afraid that, ever since my first encounter with Bowser, I haven't been as brave as I should."

"Tell me, Mips," the princess started. "Have you been in this castle for very long?" The rabbit lowered his ears sadly.

"I'm afraid I have. The Koopa King managed to seal off any and all escapes. I've been wandering this castle for days."

"Have you seen a man, a little shorter than I, wearing red and blue overalls?" The princess asked hopefully. The bunny raised one ear and cocked an eyebrow, placing a paw under his furry chin, thinking.

"You know, come to think of it, I have seen someone of that sort. Has he a mustache?"

"Yes!" Peach exclaimed happily. "That's Mario! He's come to save us!"

The bunny's face was still grim however. "Yes, I have seen him, hopping into paintings. Last time he leaped out of one, he was covered in cuts and bruises. Tell me, princess, do you know where those paintings lead to?"

Peach thought about this, then answered, "I do believe they lead to different parts of the Mushroom Kingdom. For example, the painting entitled Bomb-Omb Battlefield leads to the civil war-infested state of Ombaria."

Mips was quiet for a moment. "It's obvious that Bowser intended to hide the Stars in the paintings themselves, but instead sent them to different locations scattered along the land. I do believe that they are the only escape from this castle."

The princess's face became grave as well. Her beloved Mario was jumping back and fourth between worlds. That couldn't be at all safe, especially if Bowser designed it.

"Tell me, Mips, what painting is he in now?"

"I'm afraid I don't have that information, princess, but if I see him, I will bring you proof that he is OK."

The princess looked grateful. She picked up the small bunny and gave him a soft hug.

"Thank you, Mips." She stated, before retreating back to the secret staircase. "I'll be back in a few hours. Or days. Whichever, I'll have to see how Bowser is doing. He's probably searching for me as we speak, and the last thing I want to do is get him angry."

Mips smiled. "Then return, princess. I shall keep my eyes out for Mario."

After another "Thank you", Peach began ascending the stairs once again. However, this time, the candles were lit. The princess had little time to question how this was possible, for she quickly found another wooden door, this one slightly smaller. Curiosity was begging her to open it.

_'I shouldn't'_ she thought. _'Once Bowser realizes I'm gone, he'll go insane and kill Mario for sure.'_ She continued to debate over opening the door, then finally thought, _'Oh, what the hell?'_ and turned the rusty door knob…

**

* * *

Well, I hope that explains a little bit as to what the levels and bosses really are: different lands across the Mushroom Kingdom. More to come soon, just please read and respond!**


	6. Of Discovery and Dollhouses

**Wow, it's been a long time! I'm sorry, I've just been very busy with everything else that I've neglected my stories. It's, like, 1:30 in the morning and I'm way to tired for responses, but I'll try to update quicker from now on.**

* * *

Mario had just emerged from the second painting. He was collecting the Stars faster than Bowser had anticipated. Bowser wanted to throw his crystal ball clear across his room. Mario was too good.

He thought, but he only hurt his head. There was nothing more he could do to stop the assassin. He needed to talk to Peach just one more time…

* * *

The Princess was walking through the dark corridor. No candles lit her way this time. No small mouse or bat accompanied her on her journey. She had no idea where she was going, but she intended to find out.

She knew that her father must've come to this room many times while he was still alive. There were footprints and not nearly enough cobwebs dangling in her way to have been abandoned for long.

Finally she felt a room coming up. She slit her hands against the cold stone walls in an attempt to find a light switch. She didn't. She began slowly walking into the room. She felt like she was discovering a nation for the first time in recorded history. For some reason, she felt at home in this dark room.

Finally, a bright light appeared. It startled Peach a bit, making her trip and fall, tearing her dress. She parted the hair from in front of her face and looked up at the light source.

It was a Star. Kammy Koopa must've missed this one!

She made her way towards the mighty astronomical treasure, and then stopped herself to observe the mysterious room. There were books scattered every which way (must've been a secret library). She picked up a rather large tomb and blew the dust off of it. She opened its large leather cover to a page book marked with a large feather.

Its pages were a dark golden, almost brown, probably due to age, yet she could still make out the faint purple lettering on them. They were written in a strange language in horrible handwriting. She starred at the book marked page:

'_It sounds like a poem of some kind.'_ She thought to herself. Then she attempted to read the bizarre words.

They seemed to slide from her tongue like a small, twisted snake. She found that once she began to speak these ancient words, she could not stop. She was beginning to choke. These words were forcing themselves out of her mouth!

She threw the book on the ground, yet she chanted still. She clenched her dry throat with one gloved hand and held the other over her no longer deep red lips. What was happening?

Finally, the words stopped. The book's pages glowed. The Star began to spin. Violently. Peach took in deep breathes and coughed up some dry blood. She gave one more horrid stare at the book and cringed.

She forced herself back up on her feet and began brushing her now-filthy dress off. That's when she noticed something strange underneath the floating Star.

It was a dome of some kind, glowing bright pink, almost blinding her. She shielded her eyes for a moment and walked over to the glowing container. The Star began to slow down. The book's pages began to fade. The princess inhaled in horror at what she saw in the case.

In were the remains of a pink Koopa egg. Two pieces of the pink shell. A pink so pure and innocent. As she was.

She backed away, nearly tripping over another book. Why did this eggshell impact her so? That's when something bizarre happened in Peach's mind.

Memories flashed at her, like a home movie going in fast forward. She was a small cottage in the middle of a snow-infested canyon. She saw three Koopas living together in peace and…was that Bowser? The memories were moving too fast for her to know for sure. She saw bloodshed, magic, tears, war, deaths…her father. Who was that Koopa he was with? Why were they kissing so? Who was that emerging from the pink eggshell? Was it she? Could she have been the daughter of a…

She screamed as the memories began to fade away. She screamed in total and utter horror and insanity. Was she out of her mind? She forced herself back to the door, back to the stairs, back to Bowser's throne room.

The Koopa King shot a look at the princess, who looked like she was at Death's door, just about to knock. She collapsed. Horror stricken, Bowser ran to her side. All thoughts of Mario disappeared from his violent mind. She picked the princess up in his arms and placed her on his throne.

* * *

Peach woke up days later. Bowser wasn't there to see her awake, however. He was in the courtyard, desperately avoiding Mario's presence. He was stopping a rebellion.

"King Boo!" he cried out. "There shall be no such thing!"

"Oh, but there will be, my Koopa friend." The ghostly being said in between chuckles. "You treat us like we're not even alive!"

"That's because you're not alive!" he shouted. "You are ghosts! Spirits of an unknown nature! Kammy ordered you to serve me!"

"Kammy had rocks for brains!" the rebellious Boo shouted. "We demand our rights! I am King of the Boos and I will have order in my new castle!"

Bowser had enough. He grabbed a nearby toy, a small, plastic model of a castle, and held it up in the air. Then he began to chant words from Kammy's ancient spell book. He had practiced its spells many a night, even after Mario burst from the third painting. After the spell was said, the Boos were sucked into the small model castle, screaming a terrible sound that was like nails on a chalk board.

Within a matter of seconds, the Boos were gone, imprisoned in the now black and misty dollhouse. Bowser threw the toy on the ground of the court yard. They were never any real threat to him. Not as long as he had his strength, magic, and wisdom. The only one who did stand in his way was Mario. He prayed that that would end soon.

* * *

**Definately not my best work. All stories have at least one chapter like that. My other ones will be much better!**


	7. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Wow, guys, I feel kinda bad because I'm _really_ rushing through this. Any spelling errors, I apologize. Well, this chappie is basically Bowser preparing to fight Mario for the first time.**

**G.I.R.'s shadow: Hey, that sounds like a fun story idea! Go for it! And don't think that I've forgotten about Cackletta. Her origin story's coming up soon, but I would like to finish this story AND my Case Closed story before I start any new projects. **

**Queen B of Randomness 016: Peach's origin was explained a lot in _King of the Koopas_. The rest of her dark past will be revealed in later chapters of this story. **

**Sailor Taichichi Vegeta: Yeah, I first thought of this concept of Peach being hatched from a Koopa egg way back in the original _King of the Koopas_, and that was before I saw the Mario movie (which I got for Christmas. It's pretty grand). Now that I've seen it, it's like "Whoa...that's _exactly_ what I was going for!" Funny how life works.**

* * *

When Bowser returned to his throne room, he found the princess, coughing and wheezing. The king knew it wasn't his job to care for the sick kidnapped. Still, he couldn't help but kneel by her side and rest her head in his large, comforting claw. Peach's eyes were so dark and clouded, with gray rings around them. Her face looked as if she had suddenly aged ten or so years. The Koopa King felt a sudden sensation of disgust as he began to ponder on what it was that did this to her.

"What happened, Princess?" he asked, soft yet firmly. Peach breathed in deeply and coughed again. She sounded horrible.

"Bowser…" she whispered, her voice hoarse. "What…happened back there?" Bowser didn't know what she meant.

"What do you mean, Peach?" he asked. Her eyes slowly rolled into the back of her head for a moment or two, and then came back into focus. She continued to breathe in deep, wheezing with every breath.

"I was…I was in a library," the poor princess remembered. "There were books and…one of them was huge…I tried to read it…and I couldn't stop. The book was…trying to kill me with its poetry. Then…a dome and…a Koopa egg shell…and a…"

She stopped herself. She knew that if she told Bowser about the secret Star, he would leave her immediately and retrieve it. As silly as it seemed, she needed him right then. She needed him to keep her living. She didn't know what she would do had he left.

"Did you say a Koopa egg shell?" he asked her. She nodded. Bowser narrowed his eyes and thought.

_'Why would King Toadstool have a Koopa egg in a secret library?'_ he asked himself. He turned his attention back to the damsel in distress. _'And what kind of poetry book would do this to her. I mean, it's almost as if…'_

He shot his head up, and then sprinted across the room. The princess struggled to turn her head and look at his actions. He picked up a rather large book off of his table, next to his crystal ball. It had a dark green cover.

"Tell me child," he said, kneeling down again. "Did the book look anything like this?" Peach seemed to zone out as her eyes met the colored pages of the tome. It seemed to hypnotize her when she gazed upon the glistening pages. The writing was deep purple. The pages glowed. The princess screamed.

Bowser slammed the book shut. "You saw a spell book, Peach, and somehow had the ability to read from it." This caught Peach off guard as she laid her tender head back down. Bowser reopened the large book and began to read from its sinister pages. How could the princess have the power to read spells? Why did Toadstool have an egg shell in his secret library? What was going on here!

* * *

It was time. Bowser knew it. He approached Princess Peach and told her the news.

"Princess," he started. "I am going to challenge Mario. Today. This very minute."

At first, the princess stared at him as if he were mad. Mario had uncovered thirty of the Stars. He was growing stronger by the minute. Did the Koopa King have what it would take to defeat him?

"Bowser…" She didn't know what to say. Good luck? I hope you die? Tell Mario I love him? What could she say? She simply nodded and walked back to the large throne.

Bowser, on the other hand, began to prepare for the battle. This assassin was going to be his most difficult adversary yet. He needed to be careful and finish him off quickly.

His thoughts gathered around the paintings, the Stars and their guardians. He knew about the large Bomb-Omb who was holding on to the first mighty Star. He could hardly imagine anyone of Mario's small stature fighting him, much less defeating him so quickly.

But Bowser was stronger than that. He was smarter as well. He had muscle on his side, magic, and the knowledge from the princess. Mario had nothing. He didn't even know what Bowser looked like.

Maybe the Koopa King could simply appear in front of the mysterious Human and scare him away.

Bowser flipped through the pages of Kammy's spell book. He was going to send him and Mario into the shadows of their dimension. They were going to duke it out in Oblivion.

Bowser knew how to conjure up such a spell, but he was hesitant. What if Mario proved to be stronger than even King Toadstool? What if Bowser failed? What if…?

Bowser shut his eyes and shook his head. These thoughts were going to be the end of him. He muttered the Oblivion Spell with less enthusiasm than he had ever chanted before. He was nervous.

Black shadows began to surround his large body. He watched as the entire room disappeared before him. He was standing on a large platform in the middle of an empty blackness. It was difficult to breathe here, and the pull of gravity seemed much greater than in the real world. But Bowser didn't care. He couldn't care about such small details. For there, right before him, was Mario, in glorious, deadly red-and-blue.

* * *

**Bleh...I don't like this chapter. It'sway too rushed. But, just wanna let you guys know, I'm rushing so I can get to the good parts of the story. I'm guilty of doing that from time-to-time!**


	8. Times Will Change

**For some reason, I'm not enjoying this one as much as I've enjoyed King of the Koopas. BUT there's a lot more to be said about Peach's past, and even Bowser's, coming up soon. Just you wait! You won't regret it!**

* * *

Even more days have passed. Bowser had been defeated his first time by Mario. He used all of the power and strength he could muster, but it wasn't enough. He locked himself in his laboratory and still hadn't come out yet.

The princess was slightly worried about his condition and constantly looked into the King's crystal ball to check up on Mario's progress. He was so close. So many Stars were under his belt that the princess had lost count.

Peach was now sitting at Bowser's throne, her yellow dress looking tattered and old, her blonde hair getting greasier with every passing minute. For some reason, though, showering was the last thing on her mind. She was starring at Bowser's spell book. How is it that her father had one exactly like it up in his private library? How far back did Toadstool and the Koopas go?

She thought back to her first encounter with the book, the horrible torture it had inflicted on her fragile body. How was it that the spell book reacted to her voice? Was she…a witch?

_'My curiosity will really be the end of me,' _the poor girl thought as she got up from the throne. She walked over to the book, shaking with every step, goose bumps gathering on her arms. Skeptically, she placed a gloved hand on the spine of the tome and picked it up. It was heavier than she remembered.

She flipped open the front cover and starred at the opening page. It seemed to be written in an entirely different language, with the exception of a small sticker of a shield. Upon it read "Professor Emmera." Lowering her eyebrows and tilting her head, the princess continued to flip through the pages. As she turned the golden pages, she saw strange words written upon them in black ink. They were notes of some kind, written in the universal language that she understood.

_'But why?'_ she asked herself. _'Who is Professor Emmera? Is this…some sort of textbook?'_

Her eyes again focused on a page of the book, a page she remembered quite well. It was the page with the pentagram on it. The page that was book marked by the feather. She starred at it, trying not to open her mouth. Instead, she tried to decode what the poem even said. It wasn't very easy. There were symbols and letters that were completely alien to her. Other words were familiar, yet twisted in a way.

Then, it happened again. She felt the words coming to her. Her mouth was forced open as she began to sing the deadly chorus of the spell. She struggled to move herself over to the small table to keep herself upright. She slammed her two hands on the table and tried to gasp. The words acted like a dam, not letting any air into her near empty lungs.

She eyes were closing, but she managed to catch a glimpse into the crystal ball. She saw her hero, her Mario, and the Stars that accompanied him. The golden treasures soon began twitching, shaking violently, spinning around, their sharp edges nearly slicing Mario into pieces. The princess watched in awe at what the Stars were doing…at what she was _making_ the Stars do. What kind of spell was this?

She needed to call out to someone, anyone. She was dying again and she wasn't sure the spell would release her this time. Her body lost its balance and fell to the ground. She stuck a gloved hand into the air as her eyes closed from exhaustion. She needed Mario. Mario would save her. She knew he would.

"Bowser…" she muttered quietly. She was startled by her own choice of name, but she had no time to ponder. Her world was closing in around her. Where was the Koopa King?

Bowser was still in his laboratory. Gadgets and contraptions surrounded him as electricity flew through the air like shooting stars. Bowser shuttered. He didn't want to think about Stars at the moment.

He starred at a small bottle that placed underneath a few electric coils. It was a bottle that had surely changed his life forever. As he starred at the small potion within, it began to change color. From a soft, light blue to a dark, almost crimson color. Greens, oranges, violets…even a hint of black engulfed the tiny bottle.

It was the Giga.

Bowser was taking extracts of his own blood to recreate the deadly potion. It wasn't going to be easy. He had been working on the experiment for nearly a week now and he only acquired enough to fill about a quarter of the two-inch-tall bottle. It was time consuming and frustrating, but Bowser knew that the outcome would be rewarding.

Electric currents flew through the air as another small drop of the liquid plopped into its small container. Bowser could not hear the princess's plea. He was too concentrated on his victory. He had always loved power, and watching it grow before him made him overjoyed. He remembered the unstoppable monster he had become, way back during his final fight with Toadstool, and about how the fool of a king cowered before him…

He gasped suddenly. How could he have forgotten? The potion would act as a poison if all the ingredients weren't added in properly. He had everything he needed to create the potion as a liquid, but as a magical power-up, it was not at all completed yet. One final ingredient was missing, one that was quite vital and…nearly unforgettable.

He needed the blood from a pure vein.

He looked around his laboratory. Where was he to find such blood? He knew that he was no longer pure, after killing so many innocent people, and the only other person who was in the castle was Mario and…

He grinned. How could he have forgotten about the princess? His sharp teeth shimmered in the light cast from the electricity. He needed her blood. Just a drop or two would do, but that wouldn't satisfy him. She was, after all, the spawn of Toadstool. Thoughts ran through his head of the day his dear sister, Brilette, had her throat slit in the unmerciful hands of the demonic king.

_'No, a drop will not do.'_ He thought, starring at his sharp, foot-long claws_. 'I will seek my revenge on the entire Toadstool name. Princess or not, she will die.'_ He grabbed the Giga and stuffed it into his shell as he began to walk over to his laboratory door.

_'Tonight.'_

_

* * *

_**The plot thickens once again. Will Peach manage to escape Bowser's trap? Will the potion work? Will Ask Kechum ever catch 'em all? Two of these three cliff-hanging questions will be answered next chappie!**


	9. Defying Gravity Again

**I've noticed that a lot of you haven't been reviewing this story. I guess it's all good except that I've been working kinda hard on it. A simple "keep going" would be cool. lol**

* * *

It was night, slightly darker than usual. No candle in the entire castle was lit that night. There was no need. Bowser was on a mission. He needed to take the princess somewhere where they would be alone, without Mario or anyone else to interfere.

The lobby of the castle was lit tremendously as Mario walked into another room, containing another painting, containing six more Stars. Soon, Mario jumped into the magical painting, and the light disappeared with him. The castle was now completely dark.

Peach was looking in her father's large mirror, smiling at herself. She had just managed to find time to take a bath and it felt so good on her dirty body. She now felt so much better, her face sparkling once again, her blue eyes and blonde hair no longer tired or greasy. She slipped into a beautiful baby blue gown and was now out on the balcony, watching the stars and the stunning full moon.

Bowser was no longer watching her every move, especially when she took her bath. He had learned that it wasn't polite. Instead, he was up on the roof of the castle, the frigid wind hitting him like million of tiny knives. He was adjusting his Flying Machine, fixing it after the terrible fall during the battle for Mushroom Kingdom. The propeller was destroyed beyond repair, yet easily replaceable.

Bowser climbed inside the machine and said a silent prayer, hoping that it still reacted to his thoughts. He imagined the Flying Machine floating a few feet above the castle roof. He felt the air whoosh past him even harder and heard the sound of the propeller swirling in circles. He smiled. It still worked.

He descended down the stairs and walked back into his Throne Room, grinning. He had a small bottle stored in his giant shell and his claws were sharper than usual. He had a plan.

It's funny how things happen in life. For example, when you know that you have to do something very important, but once you throw yourself into the situation, you find that you simply cannot go through with it. Bowser saw the princess gazing at the night sky and stopped short. Her elbow was resting on the railing of the balcony and her chin was resting on the back of a gloved hand. Her lips were curled into a smile and her eyes shimmered like one of the stars in the sky. Bowser felt many things inside of him at that moment, many of which he could not explain. One of those feelings, though, was guilt.

But he knew what had to be done. He knew what Mario would do to him if the Giga wasn't complete. He took a few awkward steps toward the princess. His tongue was feeling his enormous teeth, trying to lick off any food stuck to them. He found himself brushing his teeth lately and washing himself in the all-too small shower in the bathroom. He wasn't sure why. Maybe Peach? He didn't know.

He took a deep breath in, exhaled, and cleared his throat. He began to speak, but stumbled over his words. Thankful that the princess hadn't yet noticed his presence, he started over.

"P…Princess?" he began. Peach looked over her shoulder in surprise, her blonde hair flowing around her head. Her eyes met his and, for a moment, Bowser was too nervous to talk.

"Yes?" she asked in the sweetest of voices.

_'What is wrong with me?'_ Bowser asked himself. _'Why can't I simply ask the princess for…How come, whenever I see her I…Why is she such a threat to me?'_

"Um…I just wanted to…show you something." He said, fiddling his claws behind his mighty shell, nervously. The princess lowered her brows, suspicious, but then nodded her head slowly.

"Okaaaay…" she responded. Bowser felt sweat collecting on his face. He must've been sounding so stupid! He regained his composure and said, "Um, yes…it's right outside the window."

As the princess turned around to go back outside on the balcony to search for the mysterious "something" Bowser was going to show her, the Koopa closed his eyes and ordered his machine to fly down and land softly on the balcony. And it did just that.

Peach looked at the strange contraption, startled slightly. It was, at one point, a magnificent shade of green with hints of red and white, but the paint had since then been chipping off. She looked over her shoulder at Bowser.

"What is it?" she asked. The Koopa King walked over to the young girl and placed a scaly hand on the piece of flying metal and looked deep into the girl's eyes.

"Have you ever wanted…to fly, Princess?" he asked her. Peach was taken aback, never expecting a response like that. She didn't know how to answer the seemingly simple question.

"Well…I guess everyone has always dreamed that," she replied. "right?"

Bowser smiled at her innocence and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Would you like to fly tonight?"

The princess drew her attention away from Bowser and toward the Flying Machine. It was built for one person, but seemed big enough to hold the two of them. She just wondered what kind of trick this was. Lowering her brows again, she slowly gave her response.

"Yes."

Bowser climbed in first, and held Peach's as she slowly did the same. She felt a little uncomfortable sitting so close to her kidnapper, but she couldn't have been more excited. She was going tom fly! She tried to keep her excitement secret from Bowser, however, as to not expose a weak spot.

And, like one of the tiny shooting stars in the dark sky, they were off. The princess was stunned by the sudden rush of cold air hitting her soft, barely clothed body, but she quickly got over it. She leaned out one side of the machine and looked at the castle they were leaving. It was shrinking smaller and smaller until the dark of the night seemed to consume it. Her blonde hair blew in the night wind like a cloud of gold dust. Suddenly, she felt as if all of her worries and cares were left at the castle. She stretched out her arms and closed her eyes as she let Bowser and his Flying Machine take her away.

They flew everywhere, all the way to the edges of the Ocean of Claimed Souls. It seemed so peaceful from so high up. Bowser kept the machine suspended in the air as he and the princess gazed at the amazing view.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful." Peach said dreamily. Bowser nodded, but wasn't looking at the ocean. He was looking at the princess's face. Her skin was so smooth, her hair so soft. She was, quite literally, perfect. She looked over to the Koopa.

"So why are you doing this for me?" she asked him. Bowser choked on his words. He could feel the bottle in his shell, begging to be filled with the blood of the purest of the pure. Bowser's heart was aching and beating faster with every passing second. He closed his eyes for a moment, to gather his thoughts.

"I guess…" he started, opening his eyes. "…I guess I just wanted to make you happy." This caught the princess of guard as she began to listen to Bowser with keen ears. "It's just that…I labeled you as a sinful being because of who your father was. I'm sure you loved him very much, but…he did so many wicked things to me and my kind…treated us like animals. No, lower than animals. We were dirt to him. And after Kammy and I killed him, I simply wanted to take what was rightfully mine.

"From the moment I saw you, Princess, I knew that you were different from him. You're such an innocent soul, a harnessed soul that longs for adventure and openness…" He closed his eyes again and bowed his head.

"Like I was."

Peach looked at Bowser, curious, and then gave a slight smile. She wrapped her hands around his gigantic arm and closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Bowser." She said. He opened his eyes and looked at the girl, clinging to his arm. He saw a tear descend from her eye.

"I just wished that I could've made everything between us alright." Bowser whispered, to not disturb the princess. She gave a slight giggle.

"Don't worry, Bowser," she whispered. "You already have."

* * *

**There. A little longer of a chappie. A little more romance, but no kissing or anything to make it incest for all you sickos. Please read and respond on this one. It's one of my better ones, I must admit.**


	10. A Twister of Fate

**WOW, it's been a while. A very long while. I've suffered through writer's block and it's been painful. But, now I'm back and the story's ready to pick up where it left off! **

**(The title of this chapter was a line Glinda used in _Wicked_, and I thought it was appropriate for this chappie)**

**Gijinka Renamon: Yes, technically, Peach is Bowser's niece. That was discussed in _King of the Koopas_, so if you're just figuring that out, you've got _alot_ to catch up on!**

**HeroInGreen: Thanks and I hope that this quality is up to par with what you've been hoping!**

* * *

Bowser told his Flying Machine to take the two of them back to the castle. The wind was now cold and sharp, but neither of them cared. Peach was sleeping on Bowser's large shoulder, her blue gown keeping her warm. The Koopa King was steering his vehicle back to his home. Thoughts of hope ran through his head. He had the princess on his side at long last.

The small bottle was still stored in his shell, poking at him from time to time, like knife begging to kill. Bowser felt the urge to take one claw and pierce a tiny piece of the girl's soft flesh, but he simply couldn't do such a selfish thing. All of his hard work to gain Peach's trust would be for naught if he did so. He would simply have to find another way to defeat Mario.

He took a glimpse up at the star-littered sky. They all seemed to stare back at him with an evil, deadly glare. His skin began to crawl. As the harsh winds nearly cut the King in half, he placed a claw under his chin and quickly began to think of ways to rid the castle of his assassin.

Then, suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a loud crash coming from the nose of the Machine. He jumped up, causing the Flying Machine to bob violently up and down in the air. The princess's head hit the side of the contraption, causing her to wake up in pain, wincing. She rubbed her bruised head and looked up at Bowser. Her hair was whip lashing behind her, her eyes nearly blinded by the intensity of the wind.

"Bowser!" She had to scream over the roaring of the growing wind, and even still the Koopa King couldn't hear her. His eyes were fixed on the castle. Mushroom Castle. His castle. It was under some sort of attack. He normally would've jumped right into evasive action, land in a safe spot, and summon his army. However, at that current moment, Bowser could only feel his stomach in his throat, his heart bursting from his chest, and his life flashing before the horrible images in his eyes.

There was a large, black cloud growing above castle, the tiny flag on the highest tower having been snapped off a long time ago. A large, funnel-shaped whirlwind had emerged from the very center of the building. The very sight made Peach inhale sharply, holding a hand to her mouth. From what she could see, the tornado was carrying very shiny pieces of debris.

From what Bowser could see, the tornado was being caused by dozens of Stars spinning at a deadly and unbelievable rate.

The Flying Machine suddenly dipped, dropping the two passengers into complete freefall. The princess screamed, leaving Bowser's ever-fragile thought-powered Flying Machine to be manned by a torturous headache. The Machine twisted and turned, its Koopa pilot clenching his head hard. His brain was pounding. The winds disrupted his connection between his thoughts and the Machine, giving him the mother of all migraines.

He tried as hard as he possibly could to get the Machine under his control again and flew them closer to the darkened castle. Through the flying dirt and debris, Bowser could see that the tornado had not done much damage to the castle itself. It was as if a shield had been protecting it, leaving only the courtyard and all surrounding it to be destroyed by the Stars.

The princess held tightly onto two spikes on Bowser's shell, trying not to get whisked away by the all-too powerful winds. The Koopa King could hardly focus, but managed to capture a glimpse of a balcony on the castle's wall. If he could just command the Machine to fly directly there, he would be able to rest his mind and think about what was happening.

His planned worked quite well, only the wind stripped the entire Machine of its paint and the propeller was damaged. It crashed onto the balcony and into the princess's room, sparking in a heap of crushed metal. It would be some time before it would ever fly again.

Bowser had landed on his shell, which broke his fall. He groaned as he got up, his claws grasping his skull still. The winds were muffled by the stone walls of the strong castle, and it was a miracle that none of the Stars had pierced his skin. As he got up, he noticed his Flying Machine and sighed. He remembered that day, many years ago, when Kammy gave him that Machine. It was an early birthday gift she made herself. Besides the empty bottle in his shell and the spell book, the pile of twisted wires and smashed metal was the only thing he had to remember his teacher by.

He gasped. Where was Peach? He looked around the entire room, cold sweat building up on his brow. He checked his shell in the mirror, praying to whoever was listening that she wasn't crushed by him. Miraculously, she wasn't. She was still outside, on the floor of the balcony, unconscious. The Koopa walked as fast as he could over to the floor girl and scooped her up in his arms. Behind the small cuts and bruises, she still looked as beautiful as ever. He smiled and sighed with relief as she began to cough, the sign that she was alive. He placed her breathing body on a nearby couch and starred hard into his crystal ball.

He cursed. It was Mario, climbing up the magiked stairs up to his Throne Room. He remembered when Kamilia had assured him that the stairs were charmed so that no mortal man could ever make it to the top. This made Bowser even more nervous. _What matter of a being was this?_

He stopped short. He realized what was happening. This creature, Mario, he had been foolishly collecting the all-powerful Stars without knowing their strength. Before Kammy hid them in separate worlds, they were magically bound together, their power keeping the castle safe. The magic bind they were entrapped in must've been strong enough to keep the almighty Stars under control. Now that they were all together and free, their powers were too much for even them to bear. They had gone completely out of control! And Mario, completely oblivious, was responsible. And now he was coming up the staircase that defied all matter of knowledge in history to kill Bowser.

This Mario seemed utterly unstoppable. Thoughts of Giga Bowser came back to the King's mind. The raw, unimaginable power that he'd been seeking his whole life. The only power strong enough to defeat Mario. He looked back at Princess Peach, her delicate head resting on the arm of the couch. His mind began pounding again. What did he care more about: His kingdom or the princess?

He caught sight of Kammy's spell book, which was lying next to the princess's couch. He felt a small tear drip down cheek, winced and wiped it away fast. He was about to make a sacrifice and this was no time to cry. He needed to be strong.

He lowered his head and walked back to the princess. He shook her shoulder slightly, waking her up. She woke up slowly, rubbing her bright blue eyes. She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering like the deadly Stars that were consuming their castle.

"Bowser…what are we going to do about the tornado?" she asked. Bowser bit his lower lip and responded, "Princess, I must ask a favor of you. If you do this for me, then we can both save this castle."

The princess looked back up at him. Bowser could tell that she was confused, probably thinking how she could help. He just hated that...he would never see her again.

"Peach…I need you to read the same spell you read earlier." His own answer shocked him. She looked up at him, still confused.

"That horrid poem?" she cried. "But why?"

"Because you are the only one who knows how it goes, and you need to send the Stars back to their magic cage. It should be in your father's secret library in the secret staircase."

Peach accepted her new mission without much enthusiasm, but with worry. She bent down and picked up the spell book, clenching it in her arms. She looked back up at the King.

"What about you?"

Bowser narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. He began walking out the door, running through the Oblivion Arena spell in his head. "I'm going to take care of Mario."

* * *

**I hope that the ending had most of you thinking he was going to take Peach's blood. If you did think that, then YES! I succeeded with this chapter! Please read and respond!**

**(ooo and I TOTALLY got tickets to see _Wicked_ June 1st! UBER excited!)**


	11. I Have Been Changed

**Well, OK, Bowser doesn't actually fight Mario until next chapter, but this is a little bit of fluffyness that I forgot to add last chapter. After all, Bowser and Peach have been through a lot together. You didn't think they would leave each other without saying a long, drawn-out good-bye, do you?**

* * *

He was outside of his throne room, the room which had grown to become his sanctuary. His home since the fires of Keep Canyon destroyed his childhood cottage. He remembered the day he returned to the canyon, renamed Koopa Keep, for obvious reasons, by the Koopas who lived there.

Yes…he remembered the day of his return very well…

"_Bowser!" Brank cried out. "You need to stop!" His young brother grinned wickedly, the fires of the remaining Giga burning in his eyes._

"_Brank, you must be mistaken." He replied. Brank was surprised that he didn't acknowledge his reappearance. The last time he even saw his younger brother, Brank was seven years old, running around the West Woods those many years ago. Yet Bowser didn't seem to care that his brother, supposedly dead, was now alive, standing before him._

_He had determination in his heart. Love ceased to exist._

"_I am doing this for us!" Bowser cried out. "For you! For mistreated Koopas everywhere! I'm not doing this for my benefit alone!" He softened his voice and spoke to Brank reasonably. "Brank…I can save Koopa-Kind from extinction. This is my destiny, to be King of all Koopas. Just trust me Brank…try to trust me just this once."_

_The older Koopa narrowed his eyes and lowered his brow. "But, Bowser, you have to listen to me," he stated coldly. "I understand what you intended to do, but what you're doing now is wicked. Evil. You aren't an evil person, Bowser. You are good. So please, try to reconsider…"_

"_NO!" Bowser screamed, slashing at his brother. Brank moved back before the razor-sharp claws could strike his scales. His jaw dropped open slightly as his eyes widened with sadness and fear. His brother had changed, and not just physically. He was no longer the innocent Koopaling who ran freely through the woods, exploring unknown regions. He was now a ruthless dictator, ruling over lands and showing no mercy towards those weaker than him. He had, indeed, become evil._

Brank. His brother…only trying to help him. Only trying to harness his anger and hatred toward Humankind, only trying to help his succeed. But Bowser ignored his assistance. No, not just ignored…destroyed it. It was the Giga's fault. He had no control. Had he not taken the Giga, Brank would…

He lowered his head, sighing. It was his fault. He couldn't deny that fact any longer. He was the one who had become the monster, the power-hungry beast who longed for revenge.

'But…was that not my right?' he thought to himself. 'Was it not my right to seek revenge towards the man who killed my sister in front of my very eyes? The man who wanted to rid the land of Koopa-kind forever?'

It was. Just as it was his right to rid this intruder from his castle. Mario was, in fact, an intruder, bursting in on the rightful King to try and strip him of his power. He was the enemy. Bowser was the victim.

But not anymore.

Bowser was fighting back. He was taking all of his anger and hatred, harnessing it, controlling it, so that he would not make the same mistake he had made with his brother. His hatred wouldn't control him anymore. He was the master of his feelings. He was the King of the Koopas!

The Oblivion spell was playing over and over in his head. He began chanting it's holy words. They emerged dark and tasteless, like throwing up a piece of wood, when he heard the innocent voice of the Princess. He turned around to see her, running up to him, tears in her precious blue eyes.

"Bowser!" she cried, hugging him tightly. She was sobbing uncontrollably. "What if I can't read it? What if I don't know how to control it? What if Mario proves to be more than what even I thought? What if you…"

"Princess," Bowser whispered softly. "You mustn't worry about me. Your concern must be with this castle and your own safety." He stopped, starred into her reddened eyes, and held her gentle hands tightly in his claws.

"I know you're scared. It's only natural. But you need to be strong, Princess, and know that, even if we never see each other again, you have impacted me more than anyone else has."

He knew, of course, that this wasn't true. Kamilia Koopa was the one person he would never forget, but…Princess Peach…she was something else. She was the one person who made him see life from a whole new angle. He loved her…so much.

"I…Bowser, I just wish I could've helped you. Helped you bring peace and justice back to Mushroom Kingdom…to all of Het Naamkaartje." Bowser smiled down at her, a lone tear gathering in his eye.

"You already have." He said. The Princess looked up at him. "I know, for a fact, Princess, that you will rule over this kingdom with peace, and be a better ruler than I could've ever dreamed of being."

"But, Bowser, I can't do this on my own!" she said, lip quivering. "How am I supposed to rule over a kingdom that is controlled by laws I no longer believe in?" Bowser took a claw and stroked the girl's golden hair.

"You're a smart girl, Peach." Bowser said. "You'll find a way." The Princess starred into Bowser's orange eyes yet again. Why did they seem so familiar? She continued to stare as Bowser began talking.

"Princess, there isn't much time." He said, hearing the roaring winds growing ever louder. "The Stars are approaching and Mario is surely waiting. I must chant the spell and…"

His heart was aching. He couldn't stop starring into Peach's eyes. Why did they seem so familiar? Like he was starring into the eyes of…Brilette? But, he shook his thoughts away. He had run out of time to ask questions. Any and all that were unanswered would remain so. He had run out of time.

He hated memories, especially happy ones. Memories of a time when assassins, Stars, death…were non-existent. It had only been about an hour ago, but the air ride he and Peach had shared under the stars seemed like an eternity ago. Like a past-life he was just beginning to remember. That moment was, and would remain to be, the happiest moment of his life.

Because he shared it with her.

"Princess…I will miss you…" he could hardly find the words to describe his feelings. "…Oh, so very much." He took the small crown that had sat upon his head ever since the first day he had destroyed Toadstool. He had forgotten that it was still there. He removed it from his skull and placed it in Peach's hands. He tried to smile.

"You will be a very fine ruler."

The Princess was choked up and hugged her former-kidnapper for the last time. There was no more time for words. They both had missions to accomplish. They both needed to save Mushroom Kingdom.

The Princess let go of the King as he began chanting the Oblivion spell. His voice was strong and powerful, but his face was gentle and saddened. The darkness began to swallow his up, sending him to the Realm of Oblivion. He waved one final good-bye to the Princess, who simply stood there, watching him dissolve into nothing, teleporting him to his dark arena.

Right as he vanished, the tear that had been gathering in Bowser's eye finally dropped, falling to the ground, staining the wood floor. Peach starred in utter emotion, crying ever so quietly at the only remaining thing left by her King.

"Good-bye…Your Majesty."

* * *

**I dunno...I thought that this was just a nice little addition to the story. Read and Respond please!**


	12. Limited

**Another chappie in which Bowser finally begins to fight Mario for the last time and Peach runs into an old friend. **

**(The title of the chapter is the opening lyric from For Good from Wicked. I saw it and was completely blown away...no other musical will ever top Wicked. If you have a chance to see it, I highly suggest you do, because it is perfection on a stage!)**

* * *

The darkness had engulfed him. He felt his feet giving out under his giant body. He shifted from left leg to right, trying to keep his balance. He grabbed his head in agony. He was getting an awful migraine.

_'Perhaps I chanted the spell wrong?'_ Bowser thought as he threw up some in his mouth. His vision was hazy, yet he knew where he was: The Oblivion Arena. However, this time around, everything seemed like it was underwater. He could hardly breathe. He could hardly see the ground or the floating bombs scattered around the place. He could, however, make out the lone person standing on the other end of the arena. The one man he…wait. Was it fear? Was Bowser actually scared of this creature?

_'Yes,'_ he thought. _'I am.'_

He knew now the reason for his dizziness. Mario had collected all of the Stars and their power was making him stronger. It was as if they had created an aura around Mario that kept him safe from Bowser's harm.

So then how was Bowser supposed to defeat him? He had only his strength, his claws, and his fire breath. He hadn't memorized enough defensive or attacking spells. Mario, on the other hand, was completely unpredictable. The first time Bowser had met him, Mario surprised him with his high jumping and agility. What else was this man capable of after destroying all of the guardians of the Stars in the paintings?

He locked his menacing eyes on the Italian assassin. He looked so…utterly harmless. Compared to Wart, Toadstool, Brank…heck, even King Boo looked tougher than this guy. But Bowser knew what lied behind the mustache and the overalls. The Koopa King, of all people, knew that it's not what's on the outside, but the inside that counts.

He steadied himself. He concentrated as hard as he could. His eyes focused hard, hardly blinking, as the spinning world began to make more sense. He was going to fight Mario. He lowered his fiery eyebrows to the brink of pain and thought about what he needed to do. This Mario creature was here, for no apparent reason, to take away everything Bowser had worked so hard for. No…it was beyond work…it was his life. His devotion, his obsession. He had killed his entire family to get this castle. This kingdom. This power. He had trained for years for the moment to sit on the throne. He had invaded countries, he had started a full-scale war for this dream to come true!

Not all dreams are meant to come true. For when they do, they become nightmares. This is what had happened to King Bowser. This castle had at once become his home and, at the same time, his prison. Princess Peach had become his threat and his sister. And Mario…Mario had become his Hades, choosing who would live and who would die in this dark saga Bowser called Life.

Quick as a flash, Mario jumped high up in the air. Very high. Bowser watched as he flew higher and higher, as if he were a bird, until he nearly disappeared amongst the shadows. He then cried out a mighty battle cry and forced his feet down to the ground. Bowser backed away just in time to see Mario's feet slam a small crater in the arena. Sweat began to grow on Bowser's brow. This was his last fight…and he knew it.

* * *

Princess Peach had no clue what she was doing. All she had was the book of spells and a heart pounding out of her chest. She was running to her father's secret library to find a very valuable object. An item so powerful that it could kill her and destroy the castle if used improperly. She descended down the dark staircase, her breathing heavy. She needed to find that last Star. She needed to protect it from the rest of the Star Storm for, she remembered, if all the Stars got together, they would make their master invincible and the Storm would just get more deadly.

She didn't know if making Mario strong enough to defeat Bowser was a good thing or not.

She tripped. She tumbled into the darkness, bruising her skull, bleeding badly from the forehead. She kept falling until her dress caught, miraculously, on a nail sticking out of the side of the staircase. She began to cry. She couldn't do this. Bowser had trusted her to do such a dangerous task all by herself and she knew that she would never accomplish it.

"Princess?" a small, squeaky voice called from a few steps up. She opened up her stunning blue eyes. Peach recognized that voice. Small steps could be heard from above her as a tiny creature began approaching her, worry in his small voice.

"Princess, of, dearest, I'm I ever sorry!" Mips cried out, hopping next to the Princess's bleeding head. He removed a small cloth from behind one of his large ears and used it to tend to her wound.

"Mips!" Peach exclaimed. "Oh, thank goodness it's you. For a moment, I thought that you were…something else. Something dangerous."

Mips sighed and smiled. "I'm nothing more than a mere rabbit now, Your Majesty. But never mind me now. I hear loud winds coming from above the castle. What is going on?"

The Princess brushed some of her golden hair out of her face and cleared her throat. "Mips, it's a very long story, but there's a whirlwind of Stars destroying this very castle. It seems that Mario has been careless and gathered all of the Stars together without knowing their strength. Bowser is attempting to stop Mario now. Come."

The Princess got up on her feet and limped up the stairs back to her father's private library. Mips was confused.

"You Majesty," he began, following the girl. "If I may be so bold, why are you so calm while your hero is fighting your kidnapper?" The Princess hardly knew herself. She kept climbing the stairs until she finally found the wooden door she had been looking for. She grabbed the doorknob and looked back down at Mips.

"Because I believe that Bowser is not as evil as we both had thought."

Mips cocked his head, looked at his furry paws, and sighed. He knew that Bowser was evil. Only evil could transform an innocent member of the Beanbean court into a bunny rabbit.

However, he quickly played back the whole incident in his head. He had tried to fool King Bowser into giving up all his land to Lady Cackletta. Bowser had just endured a terrible war and was, no doubtfully angered by the fact that a tiny creature was trying to take it all away from him again. He lowered his head, his floppy ears drooping over his face. Maybe he wasn't so innocent after all.

The Princess finally got the door open, however, for some reason, it was very difficult to. Once the wooden door swung open, Peach realized why. Everything in the library had been shattered, ripped to shreds, or simply destroyed. In the center of the room was an object so bright that the two visitors had to shield there sensitive eyes in its presence.

It was the Star and it, too, was spinning violently. Mips starred in awe, wondering if he should bow at the sight of such a beautiful object. The Princess, however, knew that she had a mission to accomplish, and stormed right into the room. She began searching frantically for the spell book that she had encountered the first time she entered this room a few weeks before. She needed to find what page the Star Spell was on, and it was bookmarked in that copy.

"Look for a book that looks like this!" Peach cried over the roaring sound of the wind from the Stars spinning. The rabbit at her feet nodded and hopped in one direction, while Peach searched in another. The wind above their heads was getting louder, signaling that the twister was getting closer and heavier.

Then Peach saw it again. The case with the eggshell in it. When she first encountered the pink dome, she was confused and frightened. This time around, she felt at peace…at home. Her eyes filled up with two heavy tears. She had finally put the pieces together. She was born of a Human, her father, and of a Koopa. Bowser's sister, Brilette. How she knew this, she couldn't explain, but she knew now why she was driven to stop the Stars and let Mario fall.

"Princess!" Mips cried out. He sounded as if he were in trouble. The Princess finally snapped out of the trance her eggshell had cast on her and turned around. Something was missing. She saw Mips standing on the other side of the destroyed room, pointing frantically at the door.

"Princess!" he was completely out of breath. Peach ran over to him, bend down, and asked what was wrong. Mips took a few breathes in and said, "The final Star! It escaped!"

Suddenly, the roar of the wind got dangerously louder. Peach and Mips had to clamp their palms on their ears to keep them from going deaf. Suddenly, the roof burst from the private library into the funnel of the ever-growing cyclone. Peach starred at the Star Storm; fear in her eyes, but not in her heart. She had, for the first time, strength in her heart, and she was going to use it to regain Bowser's dream.

* * *

**read and REVIEW please. This chapter was fun to write **


	13. The Root of Evil

**Well, people, I'm back with another helping of KooK for ya! Review time!**

**Lacey: For some reason, I get the impression that you don't like my story, which is OK. Everyone's entitled to an opinion. But the only thing is I don't want you to start flamming. I don't appreciate that. But thanks for the reviews anyway!**

**Queen B of Randomness 016: I love you because you used the word WOWZERS in yer last comment.**

**The Great Yoshi Rider: Yeah, Wicked was no doubt the best musical I've ever seen. And Defying Gravity blew me away...I was breathless by the time that song was done. And No Good Deed...yes, I am obsessed.**

**HeroInGreen: Hopefully, this meets your standards. Thanks for commenting!**

* * *

He was too fast. Bowser's eyes darted every which way as Mario leapt and somersaulted all around the Koopa King. He could hardly touch the man, who kept punching and kicking from every different direction. Though Bowser's tough hide prevented him from feeling most of the blows, worry began to overcome him. How was it even possible for a creature to move that fast?

Bowser attempted to slash his mighty claws at the being, but his efforts were in vain. He growled. There was hardly anything he could do to Mario while he was traveling this fast. He needed to slow him down.

He opened his mouth, brilliant teeth shimmering in the light cast by the mighty flames that quickly burst from his throat. Mario, looking stunned, jumped backwards to evade the embers, but was scorched nonetheless. Screaming in some foreign language and running around in a small circle, Mario was now a sitting Goomba for Bowser. The King grinned as he ran up to the plumber and slashed his claws at him again.

Blood gushed from Mario's chest as the man collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. Hope filled Bowser's heart. Maybe Mario wasn't as strong as he had remembered?

Bowser took a leap, surprisingly high in the air, and seeped into his spiked shell. He attempted to have the spiky end of the shell fall atop of Mario, crushing him. But, at the last second, Mario dodged out of the way, resulting in the heavy, powerful spikes crushing the arena. Some of the spikes shattered, while the arena began to crumble underneath the weight of Bowser's fall.

Bowser quickly got out of his shell and starred at Mario, who had gotten up and regained his composure. He didn't notice the arena crumbling to bits below him. He had his eyes only on Mario and his mind on his castle.

* * *

The Princess was now descending the dark stairs, followed immediately by Mips, as the terrible cyclone of Stars began tearing Mushroom Kingdom to the ground. Large bricks and shards of glass flew through the air like cannonballs and arrows, just barely missing the two heroes.

As they made it to the musky basement, they began to panic. The Princess didn't have a plan…nowhere to go from there. Mips stood by her side, constantly looking behind him, watching the tornado rip the stairs apart. The water that flooded the basement slowly began to rise off the ground, splashing the young girl in the face as it got sucked into the oncoming twister.

Suddenly, something caught Peach's eye. It was the Star, the last one that had escaped from her father's private library! It hadn't yet reached the Star Storm! It was floating away from her down a dark corridor.

"Mips, come on!" she cried as she began to chase down the deadly treasure. Her slippers had fallen off a while ago, but she had only begun to realize it as she slipped and slid down the corridor. Mips sprinted ahead of her, shouting, "I'll get it! You find the page with the spell on it!"

Peach nodded and slid to a stop, throwing the book down on the ground and falling to her knees. She remembered that it was in the back of the book…or was it more near the middle? Frustrated, she began flipping through the golden pages, searching for the image of the pentagram. Her heart was beating faster and faster with each turned page as she starred into the deep purple words, searching for a spell she knew.

She could hardly concentrate on the book. How could she? There was a giant twister approaching her with every passing second, a tiny rabbit was chasing the final Star that could make the tornado even more powerful, and her uncle was fighting her lover to the death in another realm. The last time she had read this book, she nearly died. How could she concentrate?

"Princess, behind you!" Mips's small voice cried out from behind a wall. Peach turned her head sharply with just enough time to watch the final Star soar up the stairs. Her eyes widened as she inhaled sharply. She could only imagine what the deadly Star was doing now. It was joining its fellow Stars, connecting in spirit and power, increasing the strength of the Star Storm.

And Mario.

The roar of the twister increased even more as the basement walls began to shatter. Mips let out a scream as he hopped over to the Princess, pulling at her arm, shouting something Peach couldn't hear.

The Princess was still on her knees, as if in defeat, as she slowly turned a page in the book. There was the page with the Star controlling spell on it.

Peach was crying.

* * *

Bowser finally had Mario right where he wanted him. The red-dressed man was bleeding from all the cuts and scrapes he had on his face and body. His clothes were ripped to near shreds and his breathing was rough and coarse.

Bowser gathered flames in his throat, ready to blast Hell at his enemy. It was going to end right there. He closed his eyes tightly as he breathes out the embers of death at Mario. The flames were so bright and so intensely hot that even Bowser was hurt in the process, but he felt it would be worth the pain to see Mario's charred corpse.

When the flames had died down and Bowser opened his eyes, he felt powerful, like he was Giga Bowser again. He looked down at Mario, expecting to see his opponent's remains blowing away in the now heavy wind.

He saw no such thing. Instead, he saw Mario, standing tall and proud, clothes seemingly new, all scars and wounds healed. He was holding fire in his very hands and his white gloves didn't have a hint of soot on them.

Bowser felt his heart sink and his Giga feeling die. Suddenly he felt like he did back at the West Wood, way back in his childhood, about to be killed by the Toad Troops. He felt like he needed Kamilia Koopa once again. Bowser felt weak.

* * *

**Read and Respond please!**


	14. Finale

**This chapter gets confusing, starting with its title. Though it's called "The Finale", there are still at least two chapters left in this second enstallment to the _King of the Koopas_ trilogy. That's right, people, once I'm done with this and _G.I.R.'s shadow_'s challenge (another origin story, only dealing with Cackletta from Superstar Saga), I will begin the third and final installment to the trilogy. It will deal with the events before the original KooK, an origin story about Kamilia Koopa, how she became a Magikoopa, where her spellbooks came from, and why the parasol in this story is so important.**

**It is also confusing because...well, I'm not entirely sure why, but it just is. I wrote this at around...oh...3 in the morning because I needed to get it done before the end of school (my school gets out in a week). So, yeah...bear with me and, if it's not good, at least pretend it's good.**

**(I listened to One-Winged Angel while writing this. It seems to fit somehow. Oh, and For Good, so if you have any of those available to listen to, do so while reading. Hopefully it adds to the effect)**

**_shadow-spawn180_: Oh, it's all good, dude. I hardly ever keep up with other people's fan fictions (which I feel kinda bad for), but yeah, it's fine. Glad yer just keepin up with the story thusfar! And wait...are you meaning to tell me that you saw Idina Menzel while she was in Wicked? explodes with jealousy**

**_Queen B of Randomness 016_: YAYSIES...wow...you need to wite some sort of Queen B Dictionaryfor these fantabulous words!**

**_MysticalTears_: Hey, yer new to me...so, HI! How's it goin?**

* * *

Bowser flew to the ground, screeching in pain. How did Mario become so strong? Could it be that the Princess had failed him? Somehow, Bowser was expecting that. She was but a child and he forced such a large task upon her. He didn't expect her to get it right. 

For that matter, Bowser didn't expect to live. The whole mission had failed. Well…it was worth a shot.

Mario walked up to Bowser, untouched and untouchable, as he kicked him hard in the side. Bowser was crying inside. This was exactly how Toadstool had treated him before the Koopa went Giga. But Bowser didn't have such power this time. He was by himself, without magic, without a mentor to come to his aid at the last second.

He choked. This was what he told Kammy he wanted.

His eyes filled with rage. Kammy believed in him. She told him he had a destiny! A destiny that would free all Koopas! He wasn't about to give up on her now! He forced his sore body up in attempt to fight back. He was going to win. He knew so…

Mario jumped up and kicked Bowser square in the jaw. Blood spewed out of his mouth as he flew back, hitting the ground hard once again. He let out a cry of pain as he tried to get back up. Was his shell broken?

'_Shit,'_ he thought. _'I can't fight like this. I feel like Toadstool when he was fighting me as Giga Bowser, only Mario doesn't have a weakness like the Stars…'_

He thought back to when the Princess said that his weakness was his hat. A dozen ideas popped into his head, but he quickly got rid of them. Mario didn't need his hat now. He had the power of the Stars. That's why Bowser was getting such a beating.

Bowser knew that he was going to die. Somehow he just knew it. Maybe it because of the fact that time stopped right as Mario jumped into the air, ready to kick Bowser once more, and the King's life flashed before his eyes.

It was a sad, tragic sight. And Bowser didn't want to see it.

He saw his cottage at Keep Canyon, back when it was frigid and cold. He was his siblings…Oh, Brilette. Brank. He didn't want to see their destinies in this flashback. He wouldn't be able to bear it. He saw himself grow up from a Koopababy to a Koopaling. He then saw that fateful day in the West Wood, running through the trees, completely oblivious to what was coming. Oblivious to how much his life would change.

He saw the Toad Troops, Kamilia Koopa, her magic. He saw his first time defying gravity. He saw the horror on his face when he discovered his siblings were gone. King Wart's transformation. The Fire Fields. The Koopas forced into slavery.

He saw Toadstool, still a young man, fighting him. He saw Toadstool beat him without mercy. He saw Brilette, teary eyed, bidding farewell to him as he was thrown out of the castle.

He saw himself grow up. He saw his innocent standard green shell replaced with the spiked one he wore now. He saw himself becoming the Koopa leader, fighting for their rights. He saw himself invading countries, killing innocent people, forcing them to join him in his rebellion against Toadstool.

His eyes watered up. Was that really him? Was he really that ruthless? How could he have been? He was doing the right thing…fighting for what be believed in. Was Brank right? Was what he did really evil?

He saw his army taking on the Toad army, Toadstool and Brilette…Oh, God; he didn't want to see that. He saw the terrible battle that unfolded after. He saw him crashing into the castle, getting captured by Toadstool. He saw Kammy freeing him and the battle between him and Toadstool afterwards. He saw Him go insane with power as the Giga infected his mind and spirit.

He saw…no. NO! He didn't want to witness this again! For some reason, this part of his life unfolded before his eyes in slow motion, torturing him. Brank…no, please, just run away! Brank…NO! Brank…why? Why did this have to happen? Why…?

"WHY!" he jumped up and bit Mario's leg as time returned to normal. He didn't wish to see the rest of his life. Not yet. It wasn't over just yet!

As Mario grabbed his leg in pain, Bowser grabbed his arm and threw him off of the arena. Mario landed hard on a bomb that was floating around the arena, something Bowser's hatred must've added while he was chanting the spell. He jumped off quickly, the bomb exploding just milliseconds after.

Everything then appeared to happen super fast. Punches, swipes, kicks, bites, and a wide array of other attacks went back and forth between the two fighters. Mario was stronger, but he lacked one thing that Bowser had a lot of: determination. Bowser had a lifetime of mistakes to make up for. And this was his chance.

* * *

She was chanting the spell as she ran up another flight of stairs. She tried memorizing it so that she wouldn't need the book. It had become a distraction. Mips was hopping by her feet, breathing hard, trying not to look tired in front of the Princess. 

Peach didn't care if Mips was tired or not. Heck, she hardly cared if he was with her at all. She was simply trying to memorize this stupid…

She stopped dead in her tracks. She had just reached the top of the stairs and was standing where the main lobby should've been. There was no lobby. No castle. Just debris and the smallest remain of a solid floor. Everything else had been disintegrated by the Star Storm.

The sky, once dark navy and beautiful, was now red and cloudy, like blood. Everything around the castle seemed to be gone, including any signs of cities miles away. The grass had been uprooted, for crying out loud! Nothing remained. Nothing.

Save for a parasol. It was propped up against a tiny hint of a wall. The Princess hadn't recognized the parasol, which was pink and red in hue. She didn't think much of it, but did seek shelter by the tiny remain of the wall. It wouldn't do her much good, but she needed a place to read the spell.

For some odd reason, this time around, the words of the spell weren't trying to kill her. They weren't forcing themselves out of her mouth. They were giving her the control now. Could it be the Magic was testing her before and had gained her trust now? She didn't know exactly how magic worked.

"Princess…the twister…" Mips began. Peach looked up and saw that the tornado had simply grown bigger and was slowly bursting out of the floor, coming up from the basement like a giant. Her eyes narrowed as she went back to the book. The spell was sticking itself into her mind. It was making her memorize it.

"Aleke Menah Shigeru, Aleke Menah Shigeru …" she chanted, the spell coming back to her, embracing her, welcoming her back home. Peach hardly recognized these feelings the Magic was giving her, but she didn't take much time to think about them. The Star Storm was coming closer.

* * *

Bowser and Mario were evenly matched. Both unstoppable forces, driven by different circumstances, different lives. They each had a different propose: Mario's was to kill Bowser, no questions asked. Bowser's propose…he didn't know it all, but he knew, at least, that he was changing his plan. His original idea was to fight Mario until he was killed by the creature. That way, the Princess would have enough time to lock the Stars in their cage. 

He had a different plan now. He was going to win this fight. Mario wasn't that powerful, even with the Stars on his side. Bowser would come out victorious.

Mario then slid under Bowser's legs and grabbed his tail. Shocked, Bowser tripped over his own legs and fell to the ground. Mario's strength increased greatly as he began spinning Bowser's giant body around the arena.

Bowser's vision blurred once again as he dug his claws into the floor of the arena, attempting to slow himself down enough to regain his composure. No such luck. Mario was too strong now.

* * *

The Princess put the spell book down. She had it memorized. She faced the Star Storm head on, its wind nearly knocking her over. She needed to confront this force. It didn't seem possible, but it was stoppable. 

She began waving her arms around, contorting her hands into strange positions, as the spell began to pour from her mouth again. "" She chanted as her hands waved faster, her hands twisting and turning. Mips starred at her, cocking an ear and tilting his head. He didn't realize what she was doing. She was saving their lives. She just hoped that it wasn't too late to save Bowser's.

As her chanting got louder and faster, the twister stopped moving toward the girl. Her breathing was heavy, for the spell was draining her energy, but she kept shouting the spell nonetheless.

It then occurred to her that she needed to get inside the Storm. She would need to have all of the Stars see and hear her in order for the spell to work. How could she accomplish such a dangerous task without hurting herself? It probably wasn't possible. It was a bad idea.

Peach, still chanting the spell, ran over to the half-wall and grabbed the pink parasol. Mips's ears popped up in shock as the Princess ran towards the Star Storm.

"Princess, what are you doing!" he cried out. Peach had no time to answer. She knew what she needed to do. She swallowed hard as she approached the twister, which seemed to get bigger and bigger the closer she got. She was scared. Yes, very scared, indeed.

She knew it wasn't safe. She knew she probably wouldn't survive the trip inside. But she decided it was time for her to trust her instincts and just do it. She closed her eyes, opened up the parasol, and leaped into the Star Storm. Mips cried out in agony as he watched the Princess soar into the spinning death trap, thinking he would never see her again.

Inside the Star Storm was Hell. Stars were flying every which way, moving so fast that Peach couldn't even see them as they slashed at her delicate skin, cutting deep, blood flying out of her veins at maximum speed. She got very dizzy, her eyes, on occasion, rolled to the back of her head for a second or two. Still she chanted, the spell seeping into tiny black eyes of each and every Star.

She began screaming the spell as she let go of the parasol, the high winds keeping her in the air. She flew into the very eye of the cyclone, the Stars surrounding her, as if in respect for a queen. She raised her hands high in the air, a beautiful blue light emerging from her palms. The Stars each got sucked into the light, despite their desperate attempts to escape. They had their freedom and they wanted to keep it. But Peach's magic was too strong for them.

"ALEKE MENAH SHIGERU!"

The Stars soon all feel into the blue light, which encased them in their magical prison. They all then exploded in a brilliant golden shimmer as they teleported to their own realm, where they would forever stay until summoned once again. The winds died down and the Princess fell to the ground, apparently lifeless.

The Stars then regained the castle to its normal state.

* * *

Mario suddenly stopped swinging Bowser's body. He groaned. Bowser jumped up, ever ready to attack. However, he was puzzled. Mario looked weak, as if Bowser's body had suddenly become too heavy for him. 

Bowser knew that this was his chance to strike. He ran up to the creature, claws ready, revenge and justice in his heart. His dreams were coming true before his very eyes!

_One misstep can change everything…_

Bowser had forgotten that the arena was falling apart, and he tripped. He fell into the darkness. He let out a terrible screech as his body kept falling into the abyss. There was nothing to catch him. He was falling to his death.

He had nothing more to think about. This was it. The final bow. He was already dead. He just needed to die.

The Princess, Kamilia, Brank, Brilette…he had failed them all. So then what was his destiny? What was his propose in Life? He never knew…and he never would know. He simply kept falling into the darkness, completely happy in his solitude. The King of the Koopas had finally fallen off of his throne.

* * *

**read and respond**


	15. For Good

**Alright, this chapter began as two chapters, but they were both kinda short and I felt that they belonged as one. Yes, this is the end. Five chapters shorter than the original _KooK_, but (hopefully) just as good. This chapter is somewhat sad and makes you feel kinda sorry for every character. Hopefully, you've enjoyed reading this story and, hopefully, you'll read some more of mine. Thank you.**

**Sailor Taichichi Vegeta: Thank you a billion times over for your reviews. They've been uber fun to read. And, yes, One-Winged Angel is grand, as is For Good. I'm excited for when you get the chance to listen to it. And tell your brother that if he hurts my client again, I'll have to sic a Chain Chomp on him! Again, thank you.**

**shadow-spawn180: Hey, man, you're cool. Probably one of the coolest people I've met on this site. Hopefully, I'll get my non-fanfic done soon so you can proof read it. Thanks for your reviews!**

**Queen B of Randomness016: Hey, you! Yer cool, too! Hopefully, the wolrd of fanfiction will allow me to cross paths with you (and your awesome words) again!**

**HeroInGreen: You popped up after _KooK_ and started reviewing this story, and I'm pleased to say that I always look forward to your reviews. You rock, duder!**

**And now, I proudly present the last chapter of _King of the Koopas: Because I Knew You_**

* * *

The day was upon her as she awoke in her bed, dressed in her bright pink gown. She arose and stretched out her arms, yawning. She was awake, and what a terrible nightmare she had had.

She could barely remember the terrifying dream except that it was horrible, and yet…sad. She felt sad that she was awake, for some reason, as if she was missing someone she would never see again.

She shrugged the feeling off as she took her shower and slipped into her beautiful pink ball gown. She was dressing up especially nice, for today was a special occasion: the day Mario was coming over to her castle for the first time.

She hummed a song that was stuck in her head as she began applying make-up to her perfect face. Her hair was down, past her shoulders, shining particularly bright that morning. However, one thing puzzled her.

She wasn't smiling.

She couldn't find the strength to. For some reason, her heart was sunk, as if a dear friend of hers had just passed away. She knew this wasn't the case, but she simply wasn't happy that Mario was coming over.

Was she having second thoughts about him? Maybe he wasn't the right guy that she was looking for? She didn't know.

Outside, the Princess heard cheers. Confused, she ran to her window, thinking that maybe the Toads were celebrating Mario's arrival. They weren't. Instead, they were rejoicing over the death of someone. Who, she couldn't quite tell. She opened the door to her Throne Room and descended down the stairs. By the time she got down the bottom of the staircase, she was tired. She could've sworn that they were bottomless or something.

She began walking outside when a Toad servant stopped her.

"Your Majesty, you have visitors: Our good friends from Mushroom Court."

The moment he finished his sentence, two officials from the Mushroom Court rounded a corner and faced the young Princess. They were both in their late-twenties, dressed in red and blue uniforms, one sporting a mustache. They each bowed in respect.

"Your Majesty, we came as soon as we heard of your father's tragic death, and we are pleased to hear that the tyrant is dead." One said calmly, with an accent. Peach's jaw opened as she backed away, shocked.

"My father was not a tyrant!" she exclaimed. The mustached man looked puzzled for a moment, and then gave a hearty laugh.

"No, no, Princess, I am speaking of the beast who killed your father, Bowser." He replied.

Princess Peach looked to the ground, lost in thought. Bowser. Where had she heard that name before? It was so familiar, like she had known it her entire life, yet she couldn't math it up with a person.

"No matter, Your Majesty, it is all in the past." The other replied. "Now, we are here to simply make your kingdom life more enjoyable until you come of age, in which then this entire kingdom shall be yours. Now, let us begin with the laws your father had laid down. Let's see…" he began, looking at a scroll he had removed from his pocket. "We have the deed to most countries in western Het Naamkaartje, the Yoshi Replacement law, the Koopa Segregation law…"

"Wait a minute, what?" the Princess interrupted. The man looked up at her.

"Well, I do assume that you wish to keep up the Koopa Segregation law that Wart began, correct?" he asked. Peach looked at him, her eyes becoming fiery.

"No, I do not wish to keep that law." She stated, and began to walk outside. The man looked at her.

"I beg your pardon, Princess?"

"Consider them begged, kind sir. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

The mustached man grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Now, Princess, be reasonable. You're giving Koopas their freedom? The people of Mushroom kingdom will…"

"Unhand me or I'll have you thrown into the moat and drowned." Peach shouted. She slapped his wrist and walked outside, furious. The two men exchanged awkward looks.

"Like father, like daughter, I guess."

The Princess grasped her head, slightly messing up her hair. Why did she get so angry at that law? What did she have for Koopas rights?

_'I guess…it's just not right.'_ She thought. _'Segregation law…just a fancy term for slavery. And there is no room for innocent people being treated like dirt in my kingdom.'_

The Toads were gathered around a green warp pipe, celebrating the death of…Bowser, Peach only assumed. Mario was there, in glorious red and blue, looking as stunning as ever. Peach looked into his eyes. They were bright blue. She sighed. For some reason, she remembered them being red, filled with hatred and…

_What was that dream she had?_

She walked over to Mario, who kissed her on the cheek. The Princess smiled but, as soon as the man turned around, she wiped her check with a gloved hand. For some reason, she didn't feel as if she trusted Mario, like he was…

She laughed. Mario, a killer? What a joke! She had known Mario forever and knew that they were perfect for each other. They took each other's hands and walked inside the castle together. Peach had just baked a cake the night before. She couldn't remember who it was for, decorated with green and orange sprinkles, but she only assumed now that she had made it for her lover.

They all sat down, Peach, Mario, and the Toads, as they ate their cake. Then the Toads began singing a well-known folktale about the death of an evil wizard, only used Bowser's name instead of the wizard's. Everyone laughed and sung along, with the exception of the Princess. She could feel her eyes watering up, her throat choking. Why was this song making her cry?

She excused herself and walked back up to her Throne Room, where she collapsed onto her bed, sobbing.

* * *

Bowser also awoke, only somewhere entirely different. He was in a very dark room, incredibly hot. He filled with fear. Was he in Hell?

He got up to inspect the place. It seemed like a small, dirty room. He tripped on something, a large book maybe, and fell to the floor, grasping a piece of cloth on his way down. It was a curtain, and upon ripping it off of the window, sunlight streamed in like rapid fire. Bowser squinted his eyes to get a look at where he was at, and gasped.

He was in his own childhood cottage, magically repaired, surrounded by the flow of lava. He pushed himself up and looked around. Everything was exactly the way he remembered it. There, over on a shelf in a corner, was the flower pot he had made out of clay. There, on the floor by his bed, was the book Brank had been reading. There, on the table, was the…

Brank. His siblings. That's what was missing from this perfect picture. He sighed. So nothing was the way it was. Princess Peach had forgotten about him (that was the curse of the Stars) and he was still a nothing. A Koopa who had gone too far and was paying the price for his wicked deeds.

"It's not too late to fulfill your destiny, child."

Bowser spun his head around. He recognized that voice all-too well. Standing in the doorway of his cottage was a smaller Koopa woman, dressed in purple robes and a large violet hat. In her hand was a broomstick that looked greatly weathered out.

"Kamilia…"

The Magikoopa smiled. "Welcome back, my son." She said as she hugged him tightly. Bowser forced a smile on his face. He was happy to see Kammy again, of course, but…was did she mean by fulfilling his destiny? Was his destiny to become evil? He didn't believe it was anyone destiny to become that.

But…the Princess had forgotten about him, her memories of them together washed away with the rest of the Star Storm. If she did meet up with him, she would surely think he was evil anyways. But…he needed to speak with her again. He needed to regain her trust.

He needed to get her away from Mario, that dangerous man. Even if he had to kidnap the Princess, he was going to make sure that Peach knew the truth.

"Come, Lord Bowser, we have much preparation to do." Kammy said, grabbing Bowser's claw and leading him outside. There he saw his Flying Machine, completely repaired and remodeled to look like the face of an evil clown. Bowser frowned when he saw this, but knew that Kammy put much work into it, so pretend he enjoyed the new look of his vehicle.

Inside the machine, he found his brother's eggs. He sighed with relief when he found them, completely unharmed. He was going to treat each and every one of them like his own. He didn't know what that meant at first, but then he realized that he was going to treat them all like his niece. Hopefully, they will all grow up to become as peaceful and perfect as her.

"I know of a powerful relic, Bowser," she began, climbing aboard her broomstick. "A relic so powerful that it can control all of the stars in the sky. I bet it could even harness the power of Stars! It is, after all, called the Star Rod…"

As Kammy began her plan to steal the Star Rod, Bowser climbed into his Flying Machine…or his Clown Car, which he thought was a better name for it now. Thoughts went back to Peach and how she would rule over Mushroom Kingdom. Would she follow in her father's footsteps, or would the innocence of her mother shine through? He didn't know for sure, but he thought about her so hard he could see her…there she was, laying in her bed…crying?

* * *

Peach lifted her head, gasping. Something had entered her mind. A figure so familiar that she knew him yet didn't. Was it the person from her dream? The person that she loved so much, yet couldn't remember?

She began to choke again as she rose from her bed and walked over to a table. There she found a spell book. She smiled. Bowser saw the spell book, too. He recognized it when he tripped over it in his cottage.

They were connected again, Bowser and Peach. Though neither of them knew it, they were both connected by the magic in those books, and the love in their hearts.

Peach grasped the spell book and held it close to her heart. She then grabbed the golden crown that was sitting on top of it and placed it on her head. She smiled again, as did Bowser, so far away, holding one of Brank's children close.

"I don't know who you are, mystery Koopa," she whispered to the air, hoping it would carry her message to him. "But…I love you. Whoever you are and wherever you may be."

Bowser felt a tear dripping down his cheek.

"Are you coming, Bowser?" Kammy cried from fifty feet up in the air. Bowser looked up at her, nodded, and soared off in his Clown Car.

"I love you, too, Peach," he whispered. "And, someday, you will know the truth about us. Until then…we'll both be ruling over our own kingdoms. Let's pray we each do a good job."

And, with that, Peach went back downstairs, feeling much better, while Bowser flew through the Western Skies, still defying gravity.

* * *

**Ah, Wicked refrences...even after all this time, I couldn't find a better way to end a _KooK_ story than with "defying gravity." Well, I'll see ya all later! Hopefully, you'll all come back to see _King of the Koopas: Something Wicked_, the last and (technically) the first story in the trilogy, when I write it in a few weeks. Adios!**


End file.
